The Quest for the "Mawaqi al-Nujum English PDF" – Why This Search Matters
Al-Buni wrote during the Islamic Golden Age, a time when astronomy ( ilm al-falak) was considered a noble science. However, Al-Buni ventured into the controversial sister science: astrology ( ilm ahkam al-nujum). While mainstream Islamic orthodoxy generally condemns astrology (predicting the future via stars) as haram , Al-Buni argued for a form of "spiritual astronomy" where the stars act as signs ( ayat ) from Allah, not independent agents.
As of today, a complete, publishable, and legitimate English PDF of Mawaqi al-Nujum does not exist in the public domain. What does exist are fragments: historical scans, academic analyses, and community-driven translations.
In medieval Islamic cosmology, the "positions" referred not only to astronomical coordinates but to temporal and spiritual moments. The phrase is echoed in the Holy Qur'an (Surah Al-Waqi’ah, 56:75): "Fala uqsimu bi mawaqi al-nujum" – "So I swear by the positions of the stars."